(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retractable safety belt system for use in vehicles such as automobiles for restraining occupants of a vehicle when in the seats of the vehicle.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Known retractors employed in such a safety belt system generally include a reel mounted for rotation on a retractor body. The reel is biased by a helical spring secured at one end to the reel and at the other end to the retractor body. The helical spring imparts a rotational force to the reel for retraction of a seat belt. Known retractors of this kind suffer from a disadvantaqe in that as the vehicle occupant (hereinafter called the user) manually operates the safety belt system when using the seat belt, the bias force of the helical spring increases as the seat belt is protracted. This renders the handling of safety belt system cumbersome, and discourages the user from using the seat belt. A further disadvantage of the conventional retractor is that the seat belt is under constant tension due to retraction force of the biasing helical spring while the seat belt is worn by the occupant, which also reduces the utilization of the safety belt system.